Summer of the Phoenix
by Squiddy11
Summary: Post-OotP. Harry goes to the beach with the Weasley's and Hermione and tries to overcome the pain of Sirius' absence, the kidnapping plot of some DeathEaters, and girl issues. HG, RHr.
1. Flight to France

::A/N:: Okay, so here's the first chapter of my first multi-chapter fic! Should take me a little while to complete since school is still going on, but once summer is here I can probably update a couple of times a week. Enjoy!

The lights on Privet Drive had all been extinguished. The occupants of the street were all sound asleep in their homes, dreaming of new cars, vacations, and lots of other crazy things Muggles deem important. However, one person on this street remained awake. One person with jet-black hair, startling green eyes, and a thin lightning-bolt scar.

Harry Potter lay sprawled on his back in his bed, staring at the ceiling and unwilling to fall asleep. He was afraid that if he allowed himself to engage in slumber, he would once again have terrific nightmares….nightmares about the Department of Mysteries, about Sirius' death, about how he had led his best friends into immense danger.

His train of thought led him to dwell upon his friends and wonder what they were doing. It had only been three weeks since term had ended, but he already missed them terribly. Ron and Hermione had written of course, but Harry really wanted to see them. He _needed_ to see them. As Harry continued to stare at his ceiling and wonder about his friends, he heard a screech from outside. He immediately jumped out of bed, sensing the worst…but it was just an owl outside his window. Harry noticed the letter clamped in its beak and beckoned the owl inside; he recognized it as Ron's owl Pigwidgeon.

Harry untied the letter and began to read Ron's untidy scrawl:

_Harry,_

_ I figured you'd be up again and I couldn't sleep either so I thought I'd just write this now. I talked to my mum and dad tonight, and they told me we're going to visit my grandparents at their beach house in __Southern France__. Anyways, I asked if you and Hermione could come. My parents said yes but they wanted to ask Dumbledore first. He's only just written back and given his permission, only he reckons some more members of the Order should come too, so Tonks and Lupin will probably come with us. So how about it, mate? Send your answer back with Pig. I'll probably still be awake._

_ Ron_

Harry immediately grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and wrote back to Ron, telling him that he would of course like to go and asking when they would leave. When he was tying the letter to Pigwidgeon's leg, he paused for a moment, realizing he hadn't even though about whether or not the Dursleys would let him go. However, Harry had had little communication with them this summer anyway and figured they wouldn't care. The Dursleys had barely spoken to Harry since they'd picked him up from Platform Nine and three quarters; Harry suspected this was because they were utterly fearful about what Mad-Eye Moody would say if they berated Harry all summer long like they usually did.

Pigwidgeon began to fidget while Harry tied the letter to his leg. Harry stroked the bird's feathers to calm him down, carried him over to the window, and watched him fly out into the cool, breezy night. Harry really wished he could go with Pig and hoped Ron would pick him up pretty soon, because he had been growing very restless at Privet Drive lately. He wished he could be with the Order of the Phoenix; the thought of Order members was very comforting to him at the moment. However, Harry also half-wished he would not have to see the Order this summer, because headquarters was still at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Harry's stomach tightened every time he thought about returning to Grimmauld Place and residing there with the obvious absence of Sirius and the memories of their time together last year…

Slowly, gradually, Harry's eyelids began to droop, and he succumbed to the overwhelming pressure of sleep and his usual tormenting nightmares.

Breakfast next morning followed the usual pattern. The Dursleys did not speak to Harry, Harry did not speak to the Dursleys, and Dudley nicked bacon from everyone's plates. After Harry cleared his plate, he returned to his bedroom, hoping to find Pigwidgeon sitting on his dresser with Ron's reply tied to his leg. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the tiny gray owl so Harry had to figure out a way to entertain himself until Pig came back. Not feeling up to homework, Harry decided to start packing since he assumed he'd be leaving for France within a few days. Just as he was finishing up, the small, feathery form of Pigwidgeon zoomed in his window and dropped a small piece of parchment on the floor. Harry grabbed the note anxiously and read Ron's reply: _Excellent! I'll be seeing you soon, then_.

Harry stared at the note for a moment and then flipped it over, but there was nothing on the backside except an orange stain which Harry suspected was pumpkin juice. Wasn't Ron going to tell him when they were leaving? Harry assumed he had just forgotten to mention that, so he grabbed his quill, scribbled a short sentence on the back of the note, and gave it to Pigwidgeon to take to Ron.

Harry was in a very cheerful mood now, so he quickly finished packing, put on his trainers, and went outside. He decided to walk down to the playground to swing for a little while. The weather was beautiful; the sky was clear-blue and the sun shone brightly down upon him, warming the back of his neck. Harry began to walk towards Magnolia Crescent, watching the young kids playing on their front lawns, the energetic dogs running about, and a funny group of foreign tourists who appeared to be lost. Harry paused and stared at the tourists. There was something familiar about the way two of them were walking…Harry's heart leapt when he saw that four of the tourists had flaming red hair.

"Ron! Hey, Ron!" Harry yelled, and the whole group of people turned to look at him.

"Harry!" several of them yelled, and as they ran over to see him Harry realized that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, Hermione, and Ginny were also with Ron. He was amazed to see them standing there in Privet Drive, after a month of separation. Hermione and Ginny both squealed and overwhelmed him with tight hugs, and Harry was soon pulled into a tight embrace by Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh Harry, how are you?"

"We've been so worried about you!"

"Have the Dursleys been treating you alright?"

Harry was still in a state of shock to see them all standing right in front of him. "What are you doing here?" he asked Ron.

"Well, we came to get you, of course!" Ron said, grinning broadly.

"But…when…how did you get here?"

"Took the Knight Bus. Lupin and Tonks came over this morning, then we all picked up Hermione, now we're here to get you. So, are you ready?"

"Well, yeah…I wasn't expecting to leave this soon, but I'm all packed…I just need to get my stuff. Are we taking the Knight Bus to France?"

"Oh no, dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "The Knight Bus doesn't travel that far. The ministry set up a portkey for Arthur."

"The Ministry?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, they've become much more helpful since they realized we're not a bunch of liars and we've been telling the truth about You-Know-Who all along," Mr. Weasley told him. "So, Harry, will you lead us to your house? We were just trying to find it."

"Oh, yeah, it's just over here," Harry said, pointing at number four and beginning to lead the group. Lupin performed a mobilization charm on all the luggage and everyone followed Harry to the door of the Dursley's house. Harry paused when he reached for the handle; he knew Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would blow a gasket when they saw his visitors.

"Why don't you four go collect Harry's things, and we'll have a chat with Harry's aunt and uncle," said Tonks, winking. Harry nodded and opened the door. Uncle Vernon was sitting in his armchair reading the paper. At the sight of Harry's fan club, he turned beet red and his veins began to throb.

"Petunia!" he yelled hoarsely, positively shaking with anger.

"We'll be upstairs, then," Harry said quickly, and he raced up the staircase, closely followed by Ginny, Hermione, and Ron.

"Your uncle's in a good mood today," Hermione said sarcastically, as the sound of Uncle Vernon's yells drifted upstairs. Harry laughed and began to throw his remaining belongings in his trunk. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny helped him collect everything around the room.

"So how's your summer been, Harry?" Ginny asked tentatively. Ron turned around, holding Pigwidgeon's cage, and Hermione dropped a pair of Harry's socks in his trunk and stared at him.

"It's been…alright," Harry said, trying to sound nonchalant. He didn't want to be the subject of pity when this day was supposed to be fun for him. "Kind of boring, but you know, should be fun now." The other three nodded and didn't press him anymore. After a few more minutes, the four of them had managed to gather up everything and they proceeded back downstairs, where they saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, and Tonks talking to the three Dursleys, who were all sitting quietly on the sofa. Dudley looked horrified, Uncle Vernon seemed furious, and Aunt Petunia kept her narrow eyes focused on Tonks' outrageous pink hair.

"All finished, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked cheerfully. Harry nodded. "Alright then, let's go everyone. It's been nice seeing you again," he said to Uncle Vernon, holding out his hand. Uncle Vernon merely glared at him. "Right, well, I assure you Harry will be fine with us. You'll see him again next summer." Uncle Vernon looked like he would rather hear Mr. Weasley talk about the Easter Bunny than Harry's safety. He grunted and glared at Harry. "Okay, everyone have their luggage?" Mr. Weasley asked. "Right, now where's that portkey?" He searched the pockets of his jacket (everyone had come dressed as muggles) and held out a broken bottle. "Fingers out, everyone! On the count of three…"

The Dursleys looked like they had never heard a more absurd set of directions in their life, but Harry only glimpsed their faces before Mr. Weasley had counted to three and Harry felt the familiar hook behind his naval. He closed his eyes tightly as the portkey transported them to France; he could feel his shoulders banging into Ron's and Hermione's. After a few seconds he felt his feet hit solid ground and opened his eyes.

"Wow," Hermione said softly. They were standing outside a beautiful beach house, right near the ocean, separated only by a vast plain of sand. Harry heard a yell and looked up at the balcony of the beach house, where an old woman was standing and waving down at them. She ran inside the house and appeared moments later next to them, along with an old man, and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Ginny. Harry hung back with Hermione, Lupin, and Tonks, waiting to be introduced to Ron's grandparents.

After everyone had been introduced, they all went inside for some lunch. The house was beautiful; it incorporated both the laidback feeling of the beach and some magical elements as well. Harry sat down at the kitchen table with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny and couldn't stop grinning. It was all starting to hit him: he was away from Privet Drive, he was with his best friends, and he was at the beach for the very first time in his life! It was very hard for anything to dampen his mood, even the looming terror of Lord Voldemort and the empty hole in his heart that belonged to Sirius.

"Well Harry, what do you think? Better than Privet Drive?" Ron asked. Harry pretended to look like he was thinking, and then looked at Ron very seriously.

"It's just too bad I couldn't bring Dudley with me," he replied, and the four of them burst out laughing, Ron spitting water all over the table.

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	2. Rays, Waves, and Automobiles

A/N Okay so here's the next installment of SotP. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I had a lack of inspiration and didn't feel like writing. The third chapter shouldn't take me as long to update, although my final exams start next week so that might deter me a bit from writing. Thanks to my wonderful reviewers for being so encouraging and patient!

"Alright you lot," said Mrs. Weasley as they were finishing up their lunch of macaroni and cheese, "if you want to go swimming, I suggest you go unpack and get ready!"

            Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny cleared their plates and left the adults to talk as they made their way up the staircase. Ron was rambling about how he wanted to make a huge sandcastle, while the girls were chatting animatedly about their new swimsuits. Harry didn't say anything; he just followed Ron into their room to change into their swimming trunks. Ron started flexing in front of the mirror to see how he looked without a shirt on and Harry couldn't suppress his laughter.

            "You know you look a bit like an idiot," Harry said in-between laughs, as Ron's ears started to turn red.

            "Oh shut it," Ron said, throwing a pillow at Harry, but he stopped admiring himself all the same. He pulled a faded Cannons tee-shirt over his head, which clashed horribly with his hair, and the two boys made their way back downstairs.

            The adults' conversation ceased immediately when Ron and Harry came down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley smiled and said, "All ready then?"

            "What were you talking about?" asked Ron.

            "Never you mind. Now come here so I can put a sun-screen charm on you," she replied, grabbing her wand. She turned Ron around and tapped the crown of his head, muttering, "Pas soleil." Ron shone briefly for a second and then Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry around so she could perform the spell on him also.

            Ginny and Hermione came down the stairs, their flip-flops echoing loudly, as Ron was pulling towels out of the closet. Both girls were sporting pink tee-shirts bearing the legend "The Weird Sisters" which Harry suspected Tonks had given them. Mrs. Weasley performed the same sunscreen charm on Hermione and Ginny while Ron handed out towels.

            "Now," Mr. Weasley said, "we're trusting you four to look after yourselves today. If the house wasn't so close to the beach I doubt we would let you go alone. But we feel you're old enough and we know you are all very responsible. Just make sure you're home in time for dinner, and don't go wandering off anywhere. Stick together."

            Ron and Ginny nodded at their father, and he smiled. "Have fun then," he said. Ginny turned and led the way out the back door, which would take them directly to the ocean. Harry, who was not wearing any shoes, was heartily enjoying the feeling of the sand under his toes. _So this is what it's like to go to the beach_, he thought excitedly. The four of them traipsed through the sand dunes and after a few minutes they were down by the water's front. Loads of people were sitting along the beach, sunbathing, eating, building sandcastles, and swimming in the ocean. Harry could not stop grinning.

            "Race you to the water!" Ron shouted, hastily pulling off his tee-shirt. Harry pulled off his own dark green shirt and ran after Ron, careful to avoid running into any sandcastles. The two of them ran straight into the water, splashing a lot of people who were wading in the shallower part of the sea, and made their way farther into the ocean where lots of older swimmers were jumping over waves.

            "This is bloody brilliant!" Harry yelled to Ron.

            "Told you, didn't I? The water's not too cold today either, it's perf—look out Harry!"

            A wave came hurdling toward them and Ron dove into it. Harry, who of course had never encountered a wave before, simply stood there stupidly and was knocked over backwards. He came up again, spitting out seawater, to find Ron's wet head laughing at him.

            "You've got to jump the waves, mate," Ron said.

            "Nice of you to warn me," Harry replied. "I should dunk you, I should."

            "I'd like to see you try!" Ron shouted, as Harry tried to push his head down. Ron flung him off and was just about to dunk Harry when someone jumped on him from behind.

            "What the--?" he said, clearly surprised, but next second his head was immersed under the water, and Harry saw Hermione and Ginny behind him, pushing his head down.

Ron bobbed up, whipped his head around furiously, and spotted the girls. Harry noticed that Ron did a double-take when he saw Hermione in her swimsuit.

            "Where'd you two come from?" Ron said, blushing slightly.

            "We came in right after you did. We saw you and Harry trying to dunk each other and couldn't resist joining in the fun," Hermione replied in an innocent tone.

            "Oh you'll get to join in the fun alright," Ron said with a wicked grin, and before Hermione could protest he dropped down underwater, scooped her up around the legs, and put her over his shoulder.

            "Ron, stop, you're tickling me!" Hermione shrieked, but he just threw her off of him into the water. Ron looked very triumphant and Harry saw Ginny laughing at the obvious attraction between her brother and her best friend. After a few seconds, though, Hermione hadn't resurfaced and Ron's look of triumph slid quickly off his face.

            "Hermione?" he called into the spot where he had thrown her. "Hermione?" he repeated. Harry's heart began to race and Ginny seemed frozen. Just then something leapt out of the water and full submersed Ron's wet, crimson head. Hermione had one arm tight over Ron's shoulder and the other was on top of his head, dunking him. Ron came up, shook his wet hair, and saw who his attacker was.

            "That wasn't funny, Hermione!" he said, although he was half-laughing.

            "Actually, Ronald, your face was classic," she said sweetly, pulling back her sopping brown hair and tying it into a ponytail. "And I think I won our little dunking war."

            Ron frowned, stubbornly refusing to admit his defeat. However, it was clearly apparent to Harry that Ron was very pleased with Hermione jumping on his back in a bathing suit. Ron just laughed and shouted, "Here comes another one!" The four of them dove into the wave and all emerged with soaking wet heads, smiling and preparing to jump into the next one.

            After having spent an hour playing in the ocean, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny returned to the beach to rest for a little bit. Ginny suggested the four of them build a sandcastle, and her and Ron excitedly began to gather sand.

            "Last year, we made a small model of Hogwarts!" Ron told Harry and Hermione enthusiastically. Hermione gave Harry a look which clearly showed she was thinking the same thing he was, something along the lines of _Wow, our friends are acting like six year olds_. Harry just laughed at Ron's childlike excitement and knelt down to help him gather sand.

            "So, what should we build?" Harry asked.

            "Well, we could build Hogwarts again, but that wouldn't be as fun…or we could build a miniature Quidditch pitch, or maybe something like the Shrieking Shack…"

            At Ron's words, something in Harry stirred. _The Shrieking Shack_, he thought. _Where I first met Sirius_. Harry's chest began to hurt slightly as he tried to clear the memory from his mind, but he was having a hard time succeeding. Hermione seemed to notice the sudden change in Harry's aura, because she gave him a swift look and then said to Ron, "Or maybe we could build something like the Three Broomsticks."

            "Nah, that's boring," Ron said, as Hermione frowned. Neither Ron nor Ginny seemed to have noticed a change in Harry's behavior, because the two of them continued to gather sand.

            "How about a car or something?" Ginny suggested. "We could build a small car that looks like the old Ford Anglia!"

            "That's not a bad idea….yeah, let's build that, Gin," Ron replied cheerfully. He began to sculpt the sand avidly with Ginny's help. "Aren't you two going to help us?" Ron said to Hermione and Harry. Hermione frowned at him, but he didn't seem to notice. Harry nodded his head and started helping Ron. Reluctantly, Hermione joined them also. After a couple of minutes Harry started to forget about Sirius and was actually enjoying himself again. The four of them had fun trying to make the sand car resemble the Anglia. Harry was also entertained by Ron and Hermione's antics; the two of them kept accidentally bumping shoulders while molding the sand and then blushing at having touched the other's bare skin. Harry found this highly amusing, and it seemed Ginny did also.

            After about forty five minutes, the sand-car was finally completed. Ron and Ginny positively beamed at it, and Harry had to admit that the four of them had done a pretty good job. Hermione got out her camera and took a picture of the car. She then asked a passing tourist to photograph Harry, Ron, Ginny and herself posing with the min-Anglia. The American woman agreed and suggested that the four of them kneel behind the car with their arms around each other's shoulders. Somehow, Ron and Hermione ended up next to each other and the woman insisted that they follow her pose, clearly not noticing how awkward this was for Hermione and Ron. Harry ended up next to Ginny, and although it was not awkward for him to put his arm around her, he couldn't help but feel a slight lurch in his stomach which he didn't think had anything to do with his appetite.

            "Okay kids, there you go!" said the woman cheerfully, handing Hermione her camera. "It'll be a really cute picture!"

            "Thanks," Hermione said indifferently; she didn't seem very fond of the woman.

            The four friends went back into the ocean for a few minutes to get some of the sand off them, and then they trekked back to the beach house, wet and hungry.  Ron and Hermione were bickering about who got to use the shower first.

            "Think they'll ever notice the obvious?" Harry said in an undertone to Ginny.

            "I don't know," Ginny said with a grin. "Maybe some of the day's events will have opened their eyes up a little more. I think Ron's the one who needs to notice though…Hermione seems to have accepted the horrible truth that she fancies my brother."

            Harry laughed and Ginny flashed him a cute smile. They followed Ron and Hermione into the house and went up the staircase together in a comfortable silence. Harry thought he had just had an excellent first day at the beach.

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	3. Dog Stars and Death Eaters

::A/N:: Okay so here's the third installment of SotP. It's a bit short, but this is a plot-enhancer chapter as well as some action for Harry/Ginny fans. Part 4 probably won't be coming until after next Friday (May 28th). Sorry but my uncle is getting married this weekend so I'll be traveling, and next week I have finals! But thank you to all my reviewers for their patience and awesome reviews! Keep 'em coming!

Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Everyone was very relaxed since they were on vacation, and Ron's grandmother knew how to make an excellent chocolate pie. Harry was just finishing his second helping of it when he heard Ron's grandfather quietly ask Mr. Weasley how the plans with the Order were coming. Harry pretended to listen to Ron and Hermione bickering, but he strained his hearing to listen to the adults talk.

"Dumbledore thinks You-Know-Who is going to take a much more direct path of action, now that the Ministry finally knows he's back," Mr. Weasley was saying.

"He thinks the Death Eaters will cause a problem, so he really supported the idea of getting—well, you know—out of the country," Lupin whispered.

"Does Dumbledore really believe they'll act this soon?" Ron's grandmum inquired.

"Oh yes…and Dumbledore is afraid that—since the incident at the Ministry last month—You-Know-Who might be aware of other routes to the boy."

"What do you—?"

"You-Know-Who has realized how important Harry's friends are to him, Mum. Ron and Ginny and Hermione helped him fight the Death Eaters last month, and now that they've broken out of Azkaban, I'm sure they will feed this information to You-Know-Who," Mr. Weasley said as quietly as possible. Harry heard Grandmum Weasley give a tiny gasp.

"So you're saying…" she began.

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley interrupted with a trembling voice. "Yes, _all_ the children are in danger." She said this in a very downcast way, and Harry felt more guilt rise up inside him than ever before.

_So now I've put my best friends in danger too_, he thought. _It's my fault Sirius is dead, and if Voldemort gets one of them it will be all my fault too. _Harry's chocolate pie didn't look so tempting anymore.

"That's not true! Harry, tell him how thick he's being," Hermione said, turning to him.

"Sorry—what?" Harry said blankly.

"Oh never mind. Ron, I really don't see why it's such a big deal, why don't you just—"

"It's a big deal because he's a blibbering git, Hermione!" Ron said loudly.

"You don't even know him! Viktor is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and he's a very interesting person to talk to!"

"Interesting? What did he do that was so interesting!? He's a grouchy git!"

"He's more interesting than you've ever been, and I don't see how you can call _him_ grouchy when you're the one who's always complaining about him!" Hermione yelled. She stood up, pushed in her chair, and walked upstairs with her fists clenched. The adults all looked up from their intense conversation just in time to see Hermione fuming and Ron looking like he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong.

"Ron, you are such a prat sometimes!" Ginny said.

"Me! What did I do?" Ron replied angrily.

"Ronnie did you upset Hermione again?" Mrs. Weasley asked in an exasperated tone.

"I didn't do anything! Why are you all acting like it's my fault?" Ron shouted. He stood up just as Hermione had and stomped out of the kitchen.

"Teenagers," said Grandfather Weasley wisely. "Hormones always make them act completely out of whack."

Harry helped Ginny clear the dessert plates, and then the two of them headed outside to relax on the back porch. There was a pleasant light breeze blowing as Harry settled himself into a cushioned wicker chair with a glass of water.

"I really can't believe Ron sometimes," Ginny said bitterly.

"What were they fighting about, anyway?" Harry asked.

"Viktor…_again_. He sent Hermione a letter the other day and she was telling me about it at dinner and Ron overheard and…well, you saw what happened. Weren't you listening to them?"

"Er…no, I was kind of distracted," said Harry, trying to sound off-handed.

"Oh," said Ginny, giving him an odd look. "Well, I really wish they would stop fighting."

"Me too," said Harry. "They drive me mad sometimes."

"I know what you mean. Anyway, how was your first day?"

"Pretty good," said Harry, trying to sound cheerful.

"You seem upset about something," Ginny said, searching his face. Harry didn't say anything. "Harry, you _can_ tell me. I know I'm not as good a friend to you as Ron or Hermione, but I care about you just as much as they do."

"Ginny, have you ever…regretted being my friend?" he began slowly.

"Of course not," she replied.

"It's just…sometimes I feel like I put everyone in so much danger. You know, being Voldemort's main target and everything. I can't help but think of the effect it has on all my friends."  
"Harry," Ginny said seriously. "Don't ever think for one second that we wouldn't want to be friends with you."

"But don't you ever think of all the danger I put you in?" Harry said desperately.

"Of course I do. But Harry, I'd rather be your friend and die, than be someone like Percy and live." Harry looked up at the stars. Ginny's words were somewhat comforting to him, but Harry still felt an immense sense of guilt.

"Ginny," said Harry, looking up at the heavens, "do you see that star right there? That's the dog star. That's Sirius' star." Ginny glanced up to where Harry was pointing, and then brought her gaze back to him.

"You know, it's not your fault he died," Ginny said, looking at him intently. Harry continued to gaze skyward. "Harry, you know it isn't. You and Sirius are both victims of a horrible scheme. It's not your fault. Everything is Voldemort's fault," she said in a whisper.

Harry stared at her. He didn't know that Ginny actually used Voldemort's name.

"What," she said with a slight laugh, "didn't think I was brave enough to say his name?"

"Well…it's just that Ron doesn't," Harry answered.

"I'm a bit different from Ron," she said with a smile. "For starters, I'm a girl." She gave him a mischievous glance when she said this, and Harry couldn't understand why his stomach was suddenly feeling an emotion different from guilt.

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	4. Platonic Moments, Pancakes, and a Plot

            ::A/N:: Okay, school is _finally_ over, so I should be able to update regularly from now on! Yay. This chapter is still mostly about the relationship elements of the story, but the action also finally starts. Thanks to all my reviewers for being patient. Keep 'em coming!

            Ginny walked into the bedroom she was sharing with Hermione, feeling slightly happy and slightly downcast at the same time.

            "What's up with you?" Hermione asked as she closed the door.

            Ginny plopped down on her bed. "Nothing," she said.

            Hermione put down the book she was reading and surveyed Ginny more closely. "Is it Harry?" she asked. Ginny didn't say anything. "Did you two just have a moment?" Hermione continued.

            Ginny considered and replied, "Sort of."

            "Sort of?"

            "He was talking about Sirius. It was almost bittersweet."

            "Oh," Hermione said, suddenly less curious. The two girls lapsed into space for a moment, thinking about Harry's plight. "He must really miss him," Hermione whispered.

            "I miss him too. We all miss him. But Harry misses him the most." Ginny stared at the ceiling, wondering why all these horrible things happened to Harry. "Anyway," she continued, deciding to change the subject, "have you and Ron made up?"

            Hermione sighed. "Do you have to ask?"

            "Aww Herm I'm sorry," Ginny said, coming to sit on her bed. "He's still being a stupid prat then?"

            "As always."

            "He'll grow out of it….I hope." Ginny gave Hermione a side-hug, squeezing her shoulder. "I'm going to go to bed…I'm exhausted from the beach today. Are you going to read some more?"

            "No, I'll turn in too."

            "Okay, just try not to dwell upon that stupid brother of mine too much."

            Hermione smiled. "I'll try."

            Fifteen minutes later, Ginny was sound asleep dreaming of (who else) Harry. Hermione, on the other hand, had a harder time trying to relax her mind. She kept contemplating her relationship with Ron, and wondering how she of all people had fallen for that insufferable, yet loveable, prat.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

            Harry woke up early the next morning and couldn't fall back asleep. He lay in his bed for a while, listening to Ron's gentle snores, and thinking about the dream he had had. It was the usual horrible dream about the Department of Mysteries, but for some reason Ginny had been standing next to him while Sirius fell through the veil. As the sun began to creep weakly through the blinds, Harry decided to get up and go have a quiet breakfast. He tiptoed quietly to the kitchen and opened a cupboard to get a cereal bowl out. As he was reaching for a spoon in the cutlery drawer, he looked out the kitchen window and spotted Hermione lying in the sand dunes. He was surprised that she was up this early too and wondered if something was wrong with her. Putting down his bowl, Harry quietly opened the screen door and stepped out into the glorious morning sunlight. He followed Hermione's trail, gently kicking sand with his bare feet. She was lying on her stomach in the sand, still wearing her flannel pajama bottoms and a blue tank top. She didn't seem to notice he was there; she stared out at the ocean with her elbows propped up and her eyebrows knitted like they usually were when she was trying to figure out an impossible homework problem.  
"Hey," Harry said softly. Hermione gave a start and looked wildly around at him.  
"Oh, it's you Harry. Couldn't sleep?" she asked.  
"No, and by the looks of it, neither could you," he replied.  
"I've just been thinking..." she said.  
"About what?" Harry looked at her but Hermione said nothing; she looked down at the sand, picking up a few grains with her fingers. Harry sat down next to her and stared out at the beautiful sea. "Oh," he began, comprehension dawning, "is this about Ron?"

            Hermione still didn't reply, but Harry took advantage of her silence to get something that had been bothering him off his chest. "You know, maybe if you two stopped being so stubborn and actually acted the way you really feel, all the bloody fights would stop. You drive everyone mad, you know."  
Hermione stopped playing with the sand and turned to Harry, looking offended. "It's not my fault he's so touchy about Viktor!"

            "Hermione," Harry said, "don't tell me you don't know why Ron is so touchy about Viktor. You're the most brilliant witch at Hogwarts." Hermione looked down and continued to fiddle with the sand; her expression was unreadable. "Okay," Harry continued, "well I thought it was pretty obvious that he fancies you. So I don't see why the two of you won't just admit it to each other. I mean, you fancy him too, don't you?"

             "Well...yes....I suppose," she whispered. She lifted her eyes to Harry, as though daring him to laugh, but Harry just smiled back, forgetting his anger and suddenly amused by the whole situation. Hermione said timidly, "I do like Ron...a lot actually...but sometimes I just don't see how we could ever be more than friends." She began to play with the sand again, but Harry grabbed her wrist so that she was forced to focus her attention back on him.  
"Hermione, think about the situation here. You like Ron, Ron likes you. Unless Ron turns out to be a woman in disguise I really don't see a problem here," Harry said. Hermione laughed and stared out at the ocean again, now resting her head down on her arms. "Come on," Harry said, "at least make up with him. I think Ron just needs to know that there is nothing between you and Krum." He paused, looked at her, and said, "There _isn't_ anything between you and Krum, right?"  
"Of course not," Hermione replied. "I never thought of Viktor as anything but my friend, but Ron just doesn't get that."  
"Well, he's a bit defensive when it comes to you," Harry said. "I mean, I know both of us can be overprotective of you, but he puts me to shame sometimes. He cares about you a lot Hermione."  
Hermione blushed and grinned slightly. "I suppose you're right, Harry," she told him. "It's just…how do I know this won't ruin our friendship?"

            "Er," Harry said, wondering how he had become the relationship doctor. "Well, you guys already have a strong friendship. You've had countless fights, so why would getting along put a bigger damper on things?"

            Hermione chuckled. "That's good reasoning. I don't know….I guess I'll try and talk to Ron after breakfast...maybe I'll get it through that thick head of his that there is nothing between me and Viktor." Harry nodded, glad that this conversation was over. The two friends gazed at the horizon in a comfortable silence. Hermione was pondering how she could make up with Ron and also musing at how Harry had somehow made her feel better than Ginny had.

            "Harry," Hermione said quietly.

            "Hmm?"

            "You're a really good friend. Thanks."

            "No problem. You know, you're supposed to be the one who's good on feelings."

            "Well, you could give me a run for my money. Thanks though. I feel a lot better now."

            "Want to get breakfast?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded, so he stood up and pulled her to her feet. The pair of them made their way through the sand back to the screen door. Hermione paused with her hand on the handle. "Harry," she said, "Are you _positive_ that Ron likes me?"  
"Well Herm, put it this way. After the Yule Ball last year I found bits and pieces of his miniature Krum model all over our dormitory. I'm pretty sure he was ripping it apart," Harry replied.  
"Oh, well, I guess that's kind of like how I threatened Fleur Delacour last year," said Hermione. Harry stared at her, clearly bewildered, but she laughed and said, "I'm only kidding Harry!" Harry tried to look as though he knew she had been joking, although he could tell that Hermione saw right through the act. They walked into the kitchen and began to prepare pancakes for breakfast, and Harry found himself wondering when Ginny would come downstairs. The first person to come downstairs, however, was Ron, who rumpled his hair and yawned widely. There was an awkward silence for a moment when Ron and Hermione looked at each other, but then she offered him some pancakes and the two of them seemed to silently agree that they would forget their fight and be friends again.

            Around seven, Ginny emerged at the bottom of the stairs and joined the trio for pancakes. The four of them had a nice quiet breakfast discussing what they would do that day, since the girls were trying to persuade Harry and Ron to go shopping with them. Suddenly, two loud pops cracked the air behind them and they saw Fred and George appear, looking worried and rushed.

            "Fred? George? What are you two doing here?" said Ron in amazement.

            "Where are Mum and Dad?" asked George.

            "Upstairs, but why—?"

            "Don't move. Stay right there," Fred commanded as he followed George hurriedly up the staircase.

            "Wonder what they're—"

            Ginny was interrupted when a loud crash startled the four of them. The back door had been knocked down, and they were horrified to see six Death Eaters swooping upon them with pointed wands. Before Harry could react, before he could register the screams, he was hit with a spell and saw no more.

::Yes, how nice of me to leave you with a cliffhanger there. I hope everyone enjoyed the convo between Harry and Hermione. I really wanted to put in a cute platonic moment between those two. Review unto others as you would have them review unto you!::


	5. Hopelessness

::A/N:: I told you I'd be able to update soon! Okay so here's SotP 5. Thanks to all my reviewers, especially Angie, DansChickie, Crystal, Maria, Vinny, and Japanese Dragon. Halogen--I wasn't exactly sure what yours meant but thanks anyway lol.

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            "Harry, wake up," someone called. Harry didn't want to wake up. He was afraid to open his eyes, although he couldn't remember why. His head hurt really badly and he felt very cold. "Harry," the voice called again. Slowly his eyelids parted.

            Ginny was shaking him gently. Harry sat up and was astonished to find himself in a sort of cell. Ron and Hermione were lying nearby, both clearly unconscious, and Ginny looked very frightened.

            "Ginny," Harry whispered, "what's going on?"

            "They brought us here, Harry. I woke up when one of them was carrying me in this cell." Harry still looked confused. "Harry, the Death Eaters. Remember?"

            Everything suddenly clicked and Harry remembered the crashing door, the pointing wands, the screaming. He froze as he realized the current situation. It was him and his three best friends, away from the Order, locked in a cell and guarded by Death Eaters. Automatically Harry looked around for an escape route, but there were no windows in the cell, and he could hardly see anyway. Everything was very dark, except for small patches of light radiating from torches outside the cell.

            "Ginny, how long have we been here?"

            "They only brought us in a few minutes ago. Harry, I think we're at the Malfoy's Manor. I saw Draco when they brought us in." Ginny trembled and Harry's stomach clenched. Not knowing what to do, he moved over to Ron and tried to wake him.

            "I'm sleeping," Ron mumbled, but Harry shook him harder. "I'm sleeping!" Ron said again, more loudly.

            "Ron, you need to wake up! We need to get out of here!"

            "Out of where," Ron murmured.

            "Out of this dungeon," Ginny said.

            Ron opened his eyes. "What are you--?" he began, but then he registered the cold floor, the dark walls, the terrified expression on his sister's face. "Oh no," he said, realizing what had transpired. "How did they get us here?"

            "I don't know, but we need to figure out how to escape," Harry replied.

            Ron sat up slowly and saw Hermione sprawled on the ground next to him. "Hermione," he said worriedly, while tapping her on the shoulder, "wake up."

            Unlike Ron, Hermione immediately regained consciousness. She bolted upright and was just about to open her mouth and say something when loud footsteps were heard. The four friends whipped their heads around and stared at the outside of the cell, waiting with bated breath to see who their visitor was.

            "Well, well, well," said a cold drawling voice. "I see we're finally awake." Lucius Malfoy was peering eerily through the bars of the cell with a twisted smile on his face. "Oh boys," he called, turning his head down the corridor, "our little friends have decided to join the real world again. Do come and see."

            Harry heard evil laughing and heavy footsteps coming their way. Lucius Malfoy was soon joined by MacNair, Nott, and Dolohov, all of whom Harry recognized from the Department of Mysteries.

            "Let us go," Harry said through clenched teeth. Lucius just smirked more.

            "Potter, you are not in a position to give orders. I expect complete obedience from you or else all your friends die." Harry saw Ginny shiver out of the corner of his eye.

            "Why did you bring my friends here too?" Harry asked angrily. "I know Voldemort wants me dead, but they haven't done anything."

            "Well, you see Potter, your friends are going to be very valuable to us today," Lucius continued.

            "Oh yeah? And how so?" Harry said, trying to sound brave when in fact those words had chilled him to the bone.

            "I'll be straight with you Potter," said Lucius, fingering his wand. "The Dark Lord still does not feel that he is in a position to act out in the open, so we've been given the honor of fulfilling his plans today. You know very well that he still wants the information from the Prophecy, and we're aware that you know it. Don't try to deny it," he said as Harry opened his mouth. "The Dark Lord always knows."

            "So what does this have to do with my friends?" Harry spat. "You need me, not them. Let them go!"

            "Potter, we know how you work," Lucius drawled impatiently. "Although you may be very brave and able to withstand certain amounts of torture, your concern for others can always be your downfall. It worked well enough last month, did it not?"

Harry's insides burned with hatred at the nasty smile playing on his face, but he continued. "I told the Dark Lord last month how your friends aided you in the Department of Mysteries, and he deduced that we could use them to manipulate you. We've been watching you Potter, and we knew you went to stay with those horrendous Weasley's, but when we broke into their house we saw on that clock that they were 'on vacation'. Dolohov easily traced you though, so that's how we came to kidnap you in France."

            "Fred and George," Ron said quietly, turning to Harry. "They must've realized that someone had broken into the Burrow. That's why they came to the beach—to warn Mum and Dad."

            "Wow, Weasel, how smart of you," Lucius said maliciously. "So, Potter, either tell us the Prophecy, or your friends will be hurt. We have some new torturing spells to test."

            "And I want to try some more on that Mudblood," Dolohov hissed. "The curse I used on her last time didn't work to its full effect."

            Hermione shivered and instinctively pressed her hand over her chest, where she had a scar from Dolohov's spell. Ron was shaking with anger.

            "Yes, good point Dolohov," Malfoy said, eyeing Hermione. "Let's torture the girls first; they'll be weaker. We'll use Weasel boy as a last resort."

            Macnair uttered an incantation with his wand and the door of the cell creaked open. Hermione and Ginny stepped backward toward the wall of the cell and away from the advancing Death Eaters. Harry and Ron stood in front of them with their fists raised, although they knew their situation was hopeless. They were both barefoot, wandless, and wearing pajamas.

            "Don't make us kill you yet," said Macnair's deep voice as he crossed the floor with Nott and Dolohov. All three of them had their wands raised and pointed at Harry and his friends.

            "Get Potter first," Malfoy said, leaning casually against the wall.

            Nott grabbed the neck of Harry's tee-shirt and roughly pushed him out of the door. Ron tried to thwart Macnair and Avery from grabbing Hermione and Ginny, but Avery hit him with a spell and he keeled over backwards.

            "Ron!" both girls shouted, but they were soon apprehended by the Death Eaters. Harry, who was being dragged down the hallway by Nott, could hear them kicking and sputtering.

            "Ginny, Hermione, it'll be okay!" he said with a strangled yell while Nott tugged violently at the back of his neck. "I won't let anything happen to you!"

            Harry heard Lucius Malfoy laughing as he struggled against Nott's firm grip. "Potter," Malfoy called, "your days of being a hero are over."

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::Review unto others as you would have them review unto you::


	6. Crucio!

::A/N:: Alrighty here's SotP6. I got great reviews on chapter 5, so thanks to everyone for that! I'm totally psyched right now because I'm going to see Prisoner of Azkaban tonight! After months of waiting, June 4th is finally here!

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            Harry's stomach was in knots and his breathing was ragged while Nott continued to drag him down the corridor, pulling roughly on the neck of his tee-shirt. He knew he was panicking; insane escape ideas were clogging his brain while he could hear Hermione and Ginny kicking and screaming as the Death Eaters yelled in the background. _Please don't let anything happen to them_, he thought while his heart beat wildly, _Please help us..._

 Nott kicked a door open and Harry found himself in a dark, dank circular room with a stone floor. It was very similar to the cell he had been locked in, but smaller. Nott grabbed him by the hair and led him across the floor while Harry let out a moan of agony. He was held against the wall while MacNair and Dolohov pushed Ginny and Hermione into the room. Both of them looked at Harry with terrified eyes, which were clouded by tears. Harry's stomach plummeted as he watched them and realized that he was the reason they had to endure this.

Lucius Malfoy walked slowly into the room, followed by none other than his son Draco. "Well what do you know?" Draco said with a laugh. "Looks like Potty, Weaselette, and everyone's favorite Mudblood are about to have a little fun." Harry tried to free himself from Nott's strong grip in an effort to lunge himself at Malfoy. Draco just leaned casually against the wall and watched him, smirking broadly. "You're about to get what you deserve, Potter," he said seriously. "You can't just turn my father into Azkaban and expect to get away with it."

            Harry could not bring himself to speak; he was so furious, and yet he was terrified. He simply gave Malfoy the most loathsome look he could muster and tried to look brave and in control. Hermione and Ginny still looked terrified, although both of them were also giving Draco hateful looks.

            "So, Potter," drawled Lucius as he looked approvingly at his son, "we are going to give you one chance. Tell us the prophecy, or I'm afraid we'll have to use the Cruciatus curse on your charming friends."

            "Harry doesn't know the Prophecy," said Hermione, speaking for the first time. "It smashed in the Department of Mysteries." Lucius and Draco both looked infuriated at her, but Hermione looked determinedly at them.

            "Mudblood, if we want you to speak, we'll ask you. Although I don't know why we would want that…" he said contemptuously. "And Potter has lied to you. He knows the Prophecy. That old muggle-loving fool told him last month."

            Hermione looked very upset, but both she and Ginny stared at Harry. He had not told any of his friends about the Prophecy yet. Harry didn't meet their eyes; instead he stared fiercely at Lucius.

            "Well, Potter?" Lucius asked.

            "Don't tell him, Harry!" Ginny shouted.

            Harry was at a crossroads. Either he give the Death Eaters the knowledge of how to destroy him, or otherwise allow them to destroy his friends. He thought frantically for a way to avoid the conflict, although he knew it was hopeless.

            "Potter, I expect an answer," Lucius declared.

            "Harry, _don't tell them_," Hermione said, although she sounded horrified.

            "I…I can't…" Harry began, feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

            "Potter, I am beginning to get impatient with you. Perhaps a taster for your friends?" With these words, Lucius pointed his wand at Ginny and muttered, "Crucio!"

            Ginny shrieked and fell to the floor. Her captor let her go and stepped back, laughing, as he watched her. She was twitching on the floor, flailing her arms and screaming. Hermione began to bawl uncontrollably, covering her eyes.

            "STOP!" Harry yelled. He felt incredibly sick. All the Death Eaters, as well as Draco, were clearly amused at Ginny's pain. Harry couldn't stand to see her in agony like that, convulsing and yelling, and he felt extremely guilty. "STOP!" he cried again, while tears began to form in his eyes. "I'll tell you!"

            Lucius finally ended the curse and turned to Harry. "That's better," he said. "You're cooperating. Heroes like you are so easy to manipulate." Ginny lay on the cold ground, sobbing with her eyes shut. Hermione uncovered her eyes and attempted to bend down and help Ginny, but Dolohov wouldn't let her move. She raised her gaze to Harry with a pleading look; her breathing was rapid and the tears continued to fall. Although Harry knew she didn't want him to admit the Prophecy, he read the message in her eyes:  _I don't want this to happen to me next_.

            "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord," Harry began weakly. He saw Lucius' hungry look and drew breath to continue, but he was finding it hard to speak. "The one with the power…" he began again, shutting his eyes tight and attempting to calm himself. He felt like he was hyperventilating.

            "Potter, I'm warning you," Lucius said. "Either tell it to me or the Mudblood's next."

            Harry opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Just as he was about to speak, the door crashed open and Lupin bounded into the room, closely followed by Tonks and Mr. Weasley. Harry's heart lifted and he began to think clearly again. _We're going to be alright._

            Lupin sent a stunning spell at Lucius Malfoy, Tonks hit MacNair, and Mr. Weasley hit Nott. Harry felt the grip on him loosen and slid to the floor. Just as Mr. Weasley reached out a hand to help him up, Dolohov sent a stunner at him. Draco seized the opportunity to hit Tonks, who had been clearly surprised at Arthur's collapse. Both Mr. Weasley and Tonks were now out cold on the stone floor. Harry angrily charged at Draco and leveled a punch at his jaw. Draco fell to the ground, whimpering, and Harry grabbed his wand. Dolohov was still holding onto Hermione, but now he was involved in a fierce combat with Lupin.

            "Harry!" Lupin called while dodging Dolohov's stunner, "take Ginny and go find Fred and George! They're helping Ron!"

            Harry didn't hesitate. He was confident that Lupin would be able to overtake Dolohov and easily free Hermione. He grabbed Ginny and led her past Malfoy, who was still whimpering. Harry hit him with a stunner so he wouldn't be able to thwart Lupin.

            "Come on Ginny!" Harry shouted, pulling her out the door.

            "Harry, I can't run. I'm too weak. I feel like I'm about to faint…"

            Harry put her arm around his neck and tried to run down the corridor. He staggered under her weight but with a lot of effort he made it down to the cell where they had been held captive.

            "Harry!" Fred called out to him. "Ginny! Are you okay?"

            Ginny looked blearily at Fred and Harry explained, "She was hit with the Cruciatus Curse." Fred's eyes grew wide and he looked very faint for a moment, but he put Ginny's other arm around his shoulder and helped Harry carry her.  

            George was leading Ron out of the cell. Ron looked very weak and his forehead was bleeding; he had his arm around George who was helping to steer him. "Harry, Ginny," said George, "thank God you're alright. Ron was knocked out but I think he's okay."

            "Where's Hermione?" Ron asked groggily.

            "She's still back there with Dolohov," Harry answered. "But Lupin is fighting him; she should be okay."

            "Okay," said Fred. "We need to get out of here. C'mon." Fred led the way down the corridor, past the circular room where Harry could see Lupin and Dolohov still fighting, and up a flight of stairs into a grand hallway.

            "How did you get here anyway?" Harry asked.

            "Took a portkey," George answered. "We heard you guys screaming at the beach house, saw the wrecked door, and realized what had happened. Dad got in contact with Headquarters right away, who had been keeping a close eye on the Malfoy's, and we realized that you'd been taken to Malfoy Manor. So we got authorization for a portkey and took it here. Dad dropped it somewhere around here…"

            "Here it is!" said Fred. He was holding an old cracked mug, which had an eerie glow to it. He tapped it lightly with his wand and muttered an incantation. "Now it will take us to Grimmauld Place. Okay, everyone put a finger on it."

            Harry reached out and touched the mug with his index finger. Ginny leaned her head on his shoulder and also put a finger to the mug. Harry had a glimpse of her vivid red hair before he was suddenly whipped away from Malfoy Manor and into the kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

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::Review unto others as you would have them review unto you!::


	7. Weeping at Grimmauld Place

            Harry's knees buckled and he fell weakly onto the floor as the five of them landed in the gloomy kitchen of Headquarters. Fred and George were still standing, but Ginny had also fallen next to Harry.

            "Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!" Mrs. Weasley came bustling down the stairs into the kitchen and threw her arms around Ron and Ginny while George pulled Harry to his feet. "Oh I was so worried, thank heavens you're all—Ron, you're bleeding!"

"It's okay, Mum, just a cut. I feel fine," Ron replied tiredly.

"You are not fine," Mrs. Weasley said sternly. "Madame Pomfrey's here; she'll be able to patch you up. Ginny, you don't look very hurt but—Ginny? Ginny, what's wrong, dear?" Ginny had a very dazed look on her face and seemed to be fighting the urge to collapse.

            "Lucius Malfoy hit her with the Cruciatus Curse," Harry said shakily, not quite meeting Mrs. Weasley's eyes. Mrs. Weasley gasped and held Ginny's face between her hands.

            "Oh, Ginny, oh my…" she began, pulling Ginny into a tight embrace. Harry saw tears making their way down Ginny's face and was so overwhelmed with guilt he thought he might be sick. "He—oh, I swear if I ever…" Mrs. Weasley continued angrily, with the kind of indignation that only being a parent can cause.

            Madame Pomfrey came downstairs and set to work healing everyone. She mended Ron's cut forehead with a wave of her wand and insisted on issuing calming draughts to everyone, particularly Ginny. Although she tried to force them all to go to bed, none of them really wanted to leave until the Order had returned.

            Harry sat on a stool in the kitchen sipping a hot chocolate and trying to master his feelings. He hated being back here. Everywhere he turned he was reminded of Sirius. Sitting here now, waiting for the Order to return, reminded him of last Christmas when he had sit in this kitchen with Sirius, waiting for word about Mr. Weasley's condition. Although Harry knew he was being silly and childish, he had a desperate desire to see Sirius walk through the kitchen door and join him for a cup of hot cocoa right now, just like last year. Sirius would probably make some sarcastic remark about Kreacher, or else have a story to share with Harry about his schooldays with his father. Harry smiled reminiscently, but he also felt as if a golfball had somehow lodged in his throat and his eyes were burning. He shook his head, trying to clear the memory of Sirius, and saw Ginny watching him intently. She quickly looked away though and sipped her own mug of hot chocolate.

            "Mum," Ron muttered quietly, "what's taking the Order so long?"

            "Well, they're probably just trying to round up the Death Eaters. No use worrying, Ron, I'm sure they're fine," Mrs. Weasley responded in an overly-cheery voice, which convinced Harry that she was very worried.

            After another ten minutes of painful waiting, the kitchen door burst open and Tonks came hurrying through. Mrs. Weasley stood up and hurried over to her.

            "Tonks, what's going on, where is everyone?" she asked hurriedly.

            "They're fighting the Death Eaters in Azkaban!" Tonks replied.

            "What?" said Mrs. Weasley, drawing a quick breath, while her children and Harry sat with bated breath.

            "There were more Death Eaters at the Manor than we thought," said Tonks, sitting down at the table. Everyone slipped off their stools and sat down with her, wanting to hear what was going on. "When we first arrived there, Arthur, Remus, and I found four of them in that small room with Harry, Ginny, and Hermione. We sent stunners at them, but I don't remember much after that because someone stunned me. All I know is that I woke up on the floor sometime later to find Dumbledore there. Apparently Arthur, Remus, and I had all been stunned. None of the kids were in sight, but Lupin told us that Harry and Ginny had escaped. He said he had been battling Dolohov and didn't remember anything after that. Dumbledore told us that more Death Eaters had been at the mansion, and they must have stunned Remus from behind when he was battling Dolohov. No one else was there when we woke up. Dumbledore reckons they woke up the stunned Death Eaters and all of them disapparated."

            "To Azkaban?" Mrs. Weasley asked, dreading the answer.

            "Yes," Tonks said warily. "Dumbledore believes that's where they disapparated to, so the Order went to fight them there. Kingsley and Mad-Eye joined them, and I know a lot more Order members are heading out there too. Dumbledore asked me to relate to you what was going on, but now I need to make my way out there too. We'll send you news as soon as possible," she finished, standing up with a determined air and pushing her chair in.

            "Wait!" Ron exclaimed. "Where's Hermione?" Harry had been about to ask the same question, and he watched as Tonks set a sympathetic gaze upon him and Ron.

            "Dolohov disapparated with her," she said very fast. Harry felt a chill run through his whole body . "We reckon they're still trying to lure Harry to them. But I need to go now…there's an intense battle out there and I need to help the Order."

            "I'm coming with you," Harry said, rising from his chair.

            "Me too," Ron said fiercely, also standing up.

            "You'll do no such thing!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

            "I want to help you too," Ginny said, pushing her chair out of the way and staring at her brother and Harry.

            "Will you three sit down!" Mrs. Weasley yelled exasperatedly. "I know that you're all very concerned about Hermione, but the Order will be better off trying to rescue her without you three interfering!"

            "Dumbledore said that on no account is Harry to come out there," said Tonks, striding toward the door.

            "She's my best friend!" Harry shouted furiously.

            "Mine too!" said Ron, sounding desperate.

            "And we're going to make sure she's alright," Tonks said resolutely. "None of us would forgive ourselves if anything happened to her. But Harry, you're just playing right into You-Know-Who's hands if you go charging out there."

            "Fine, Harry doesn't have to go, but I'll come!" Ron yelled, marching around the table.

            "I'm sorry, but you can't," Tonks said sincerely, staring at him. And with a small _pop_, she disappeared.

            Ron kicked the table in frustration. Harry clenched his fists, breathing rapidly. _When would they start treating him like an adult?_

            "Why don't we all get some more hot chocolate," Mrs. Weasley murmured, picking up a teapot with shaking hands.

            Everyone stared at her. The twins, who had not said anything during the conversation with Tonks, looked like they would throw up if they had to drink anymore. Ron looked furious at the suggestion, and Ginny was crying again. Harry felt worse than he had ever felt in his whole life. He couldn't stand to be in this room anymore. Not really noticing what he was doing, he turned around and walked out of the kitchen, feeling like he would be sick at any moment. He desperately needed somewhere to go. Trying not to look at the familiar walls of Grimmauld Place, he climbed the stairs very fast. His head felt like it was spinning. He passed the bedroom he shared with Ron last summer and kept climbing the stairs; he didn't want to be found. Finally he found Sirius' old room and quickly went in. He shut the door and collapsed on the floor, shutting his eyes and trying to control his breathing. But the more he tried to even out his breathing, the more rapid it became.

            Voldemort had Hermione. First he had killed Harry's parents, then his godfather, now one of his best friends? Who was next, Ron? Ginny? Lupin? Mr. and Mrs. Weasley? Harry felt his heart plummet. Ice was pulsing through his veins. He had never known this agony, not even with Sirius' death. He felt trapped, like Voldemort was chasing him and he couldn't get away. Fleetingly, he remembered the Prophecy: _Neither can live while the other survives. _ Panic set in and Harry soon found himself succumbing to the tears. Before he knew it, he was lying on the ground sobbing. He cried for Hermione and the fear that he would lose her. He cried for Sirius. He cried for himself. On top of all that, he cried because he knew it was his fault.

            Everyone suffered because of him. Had it not been for this Prophecy, his parents wouldn't have died. If it weren't for Harry, Mr. and Mrs. Diggory would still be enjoying the company of their only son. If Harry hadn't been so rash and gone to the Department of Mysteries, Sirius would still be alive. And if she had never met him, Hermione wouldn't be in the predicament she was in now. Harry forgot his pain for a moment and tried to think how Hermione must be feeling right now. Was she angry at him? Did she regret that she was his friend? Was she even alive? Once again the ice coursed through his veins.

            How must Ron be feeling right now? He was suffering because of Harry. He had lost one of his best friends and probably hated his other one now. Harry grimaced at the thought. What about Ginny? Hermione had been the closest female friend she had. Harry's heart hammered as he thought about her suffering the Cruciatus Curse, all because of him. What about Mrs. Weasley? Hermione was like a daughter to her. And what about Hermione's real parents? Harry wept for all of them and felt tormented by his immense guilt. He didn't realize the door had opened.

            Ginny took one look at him sobbing on the floor and then threw herself down next to him. She knew he must be suffering. She saw it in his eyes after Tonks had told him what happened. And she knew that good, noble Harry was being crushed under the massive weight of guilt that didn't even belong to him. That's why she had followed him up here.

            "Harry," she whispered, kneeling next to him. He didn't respond. She patted his back and watched as sobs wracked his body, listening to his ragged breathing and feeling his pain. She allowed her own tears to fall and was soon weeping with him. This continued for several more minutes while both of them let their pain out. Ginny could hear Harry moaning in-between his ragged breathing.

            "Harry," she said again, sniffling. Despite all the anguish she was feeling right now, she felt desperate to help him. "Harry," she repeated tenderly.

            He raised his tear-stained face off the ground. Now that some of his crying was subsiding, he started to feel embarrassed that he had let his defenses down in front of Ginny. He felt her rubbing his back and realized it was a small comfort to him.

            "I know you're feeling guilty," she said quietly. "But you shouldn't."

            "This is all my fault," Harry said, staring at the floor.

            "No it isn't. You need to stop blaming yourself for everything!"

            Harry stood up and walked shakily around the room. All of Sirius' belongings were scattered about, untouched. He ran his hand along some photographs, including one of himself. "He'd still be here if it wasn't for me," Harry said very quietly, more to himself than Ginny. Nevertheless, she caught his words.

            "You need to stop believing that. Sirius wouldn't have wanted to live if it wasn't for you. And I know he would die a thousand times more to save you." She crossed the room and stood next to him, observing the photographs on Sirius' desk.

            "If I hadn't been so stupid, nothing would have happened to him."  
            "Harry, it's not your fault! Bellatrix killed him, not you!"

            "It _is _my fault! Don't you get it!? Everyone suffers because they know me! He wouldn't have gone to Azkaban in the first place if Voldemort hadn't killed my parents to get to me! And now he's dead anyway, and it's my fault for being so rash! Cedric would still be alive, probably about to start his first job, Hermione would probably be sitting happily in the library right now, you wouldn't be recovering from the Cruciatus Curse, Percy would still be a part of your family!"

            "That isn't your fault! Everything you just mentioned, it's all because of Voldemort! You don't have to be so noble all the time Harry, you can just accept that he's causing all of this pain!"

            "But the Prophecy…" Harry said, "it only deals with me, not everyone else. It's my fault if anyone else gets hurt." He sank onto the ground again, covering his face and muttering. Ginny did not press him any further about the Prophecy; she knelt next to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him while a fresh wave of tears swept over him.

            "Shhh…" she whispered consolingly. "Shh…Harry it's all going to be okay."

            Harry allowed her to hold him while he continued to weep.

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A/N: Okay, sorry for the lack of updating lately. I was too excited over the movie! Prisoner of Azkaban was brilliant, I enjoyed the midnight showing with all the other die-hard fans, and I've been to see it 4 times now! I've also been really engrossed in the fanfic "Harry Potter and the Power of Emotion" by Melindaleo. It's an excellent story and I highly recommend that everyone take a look at it. Thanks to all my excellent reviewers for waiting so patiently and giving me feedback about my story so far!

::Review unto others as you would have them review unto you::


	8. The Rescue

::A/N:: Okay I'm really sorry for the delay in updating. I had this chapter typed up a few days ago, but the internet connection on my laptop broke so I couldn't post it! So I just retyped it on the main computer. I'm sorry for the wait! Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Katelet the Great, who left me two great encouraging reviews. I put some Lupin-ness in here for her, even though she's not a big RL/NT fan. But it's still dedicated to her! So without further ado, here's SotP 8. Enjoy!

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On the coast of Scandinavia, on a small island far out to sea, a battle was raging. In the midst of all the chaos, Hermione sat alone in an isolated cell in the prison of Azkaban, drinking in the surreal noises and sights. _She had been captured. By a Death Eater. And now she was in Azkaban._ These same thoughts kept running through her head, yet Hermione could not process them. The Dementors no longer stationed themselves at Azkaban, having joined the ranks of Lord Voldemort, but their presence was still felt on the tiny island. The effect on Hermione was overwhelming: she felt cold, hungry, and desperate, and she had given up any hope that she would be rescued. Hardest of all, she felt painfully alone.

The current situation wasn't that surprising, she had to admit. She had encountered Death Eaters before, always managing to escape, but she had been with her friends on all these dangerous escapades. Now she sat alone, having little hope of liberation, and the silence devastated her. Hermione was terrified; her body shook violently as she realized the amount of harm Voldemort and his minions could inflict upon her. If only her friends had been here to ease some of her pain. She reflected for a moment about how they would feel if she was killed. With a pang, she realized that her relationship with Ron had never been resolved. Despite the hopeless circumstances, she prayed for the chance to see her loved ones again.

Outside the cold prison walls, the members of the Order of the Phoenix fought an intense battle to answer that prayer.

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Ron couldn't remember the last time he had cried. It was probably sometime before he had started at Hogwarts, and no doubt as a result of one of the twins' pranks (he still hadn't recovered from Mr. Teddy turning into a spider). This was a dozen times worse than that, however; Ron had never been through an ordeal unbearable as this. The only time that came close was when Ginny had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets, but at least Ron had been able to do something about that. This time, he had to endure the painful waiting just to know if Hermione was alright. And a lingering doubt persisted that she might _not_ be alright.

Ron allowed these thoughts to wash over him while he sat alone in his room at Grimmauld Place, hunched on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. The lights were all off in the hopes that no one would disturb him. Once or twice, his mother opened the door quietly but didn't see him lurking in the corner and quickly left the room. He didn't want to see anyone anyway; he knew his eyes must be red and could feel the salty taste on his lips from where the tears had landed.

About half an hour after Ron had stopped all his hard sobs, the door opened again and he could see Ginny squinting through the darkness for him. She was holding the hand of a very despondent Harry, who didn't seem to register anything that was happening. They both stepped into the room and Ginny spotted Ron. She hesitantly wandered over to him and sat down on his right side, pulling Harry down on the floor next to her. For a few moments, the three friends sat side-by-side, enveloping the emptiness around them. Ron reached for Ginny's hand and she turned towards him, tears sledding down her nose. She pulled her big brother into a hug and tried to stifle her tears. Ron looked at Harry over her shoulder, who was watching him with a pained expression.

"Ron," came Harry's croaky voice, "I'm really, really sorry."

"It's not your fault, mate," Ron returned in a hollow voice.

Harry nodded and lowered his gaze to the dark carpet, holding his head in his hands. The three of them continued to sit there in a miserable existence, just _waiting_ for the slightest bit of news.

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"Tonks!" came Arthur Weasley's voice the moment she had apparated onto the island fortress. "We need you to go and find Hermione! We're holding off the Death Eaters, just go and find her before anything worse happens!" He frowned as he said this last part, concentrating on defending himself from one of the advancing Death Eaters, who was firing a series of curses.

Without hesitation, Tonks set off across the tiny island. She ran through craters that had formed after being hit with awry spells, concentrating on reaching the massive prison in the center of the island. Out of the corner of her eye she saw more duels taking place. It appeared that the Order was faring quite well. Bill Weasley had two Death Eaters laying in a heap at his feet; Mad Eye Moody had roped three of them together; Kingsley Shacklebolt carried on a fierce battle with MacNair. To her right Tonks saw the tall thin form of Dumbledore, who was effortlessly brandishing his wand at several Death Eaters at once, all of whom were cowering at his feet. The usual twinkle in his eyes had been replaced with a fierce hatred, and Tonks could almost feel the fury radiating from him.

All of a sudden, Bellatrix Lestrange appeared in front of Tonks, blocking her way. A nasty grin played across her wasted face as she stared down at her sister Andromeda's daughter. "Going somewhere, Nymphadora?" she asked in a dangerous tone.

"Don't—call me—Nymphadora," Tonks wheezed through clenched teeth. She glared at her aunt and hatred coursed through her as she thought of Sirius and the pain everyone had suffered through because of his death, especially Remus and Harry. However, the hatred was rapidly replaced with fear when Tonks saw Bellatrix open her mouth to utter a curse. She aimed her wand at Tonks' heart but was all of a sudden blasted fifteen feet backwards, landing sprawled out on her back, clearly unconscious.

Tonks was startled and turned to find Remus standing to her left with his wand raised, a fierce look etched into his worn face. He lowered his wand and turned to look at her, a smile lighting up features. "Sorry about that, Dora," he said with a grin.

"You know I hate it when you call me 'Dora'," she replied, grinning as well.

"I know," he said with a shrug. Then his playful demeanor changed as he gave her a serious look. "Come on, we need to find Hermione."

The two of them hurried across the battle-swept grounds, wands raised and hearts pumping furiously. Lupin reached the prison first and thrust his way inside the door, Tonks following close behind him. They set off along the narrow hallway that was placed between cells, running quietly and very aware of the eerie feeling.

"Hermione!" Tonks called as she swept past dozens of cells. "HERMIONE!"

Hermione sat up quickly in her cell. She could have sworn she heard someone calling her name. She wrapped her hands around the bars and craned her neck to see if anyone was coming. In the distance she could see two lone figures running towards her. Someone called her name again, and this time Hermione recognized the voice.

"Tonks?" she called hopefully. "TONKS! I'm down here!" Hermione began banging on the bars and soon enough she recognized Tonks and Lupin running down the narrow hall of the prison. A wave of relief engulfed her and Hermione gave a shaky laugh; she couldn't believe she was actually going to make it out of here alive.

"Oh Hermione, thank goodness you're alright," Lupin sighed, jabbing his wand toward the door of the cell. "Alohomora," he cried, and the door of Hermione's cell sprang open. Tonks hurried forward into the cell and wrapped her arms around the young girl, who was taking shaky breaths but was also clearly very happy to see them there.

"How did you find me?" Hermione inquired, looking from Tonks to Lupin.

"There's no time to explain, Hermione," Lupin answered. "The Order is outside fighting the Death Eaters, but we need to get you out of here right away. Where's your wand?"

"Lucius Malfoy has it," she replied desolately.

"I was afraid of that," Lupin said. "Well, let's hope one of the Order retrieves it. You may have to buy a new wand, though."

Hermione nodded. Lupin fumbled in his pockets for a moment before removing an old cigar. "This will have to do," he said, frowning at it. He tapped it and muttered, "Portus." The cigar lit up with a faint blue light for a second, then returned to normal. "I'm going to go help round things up," he said to Tonks. "Make sure Madame Pomfrey tends to her."

Tonks nodded. "Be careful, Remus," she said, staring at him.

"I will be. You just make sure Hermione gets out of here okay." He handed Tonks the cigar and disapparated.

"Come on," said Tonks with a slight smile to Hermione. "Let's get you home."

They both grasped the portkey and were instantly whisked away to the kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

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::A/N:: If anyone would like to read a very cute H/G fic, my friend Vinny just published one! Look it up under the penname PadfootLuvr21. And I also want to give a shoutout to Melindaleo because her latest chapter was amazing! If anyone here hasn't read her fic, you need to! Finally, I noticed that a lot of people are reading this story but not reviewing. Please review, guys! It seriously makes my day. Even if it's just two words. I typed up several pages for you…can't you just give me two sentences?


	9. A Reunion, and Grilled Cheese

::A/N:: I know, I know, I haven't updated for a week. I'm sorry but I had writer's block and I'm sick as well. I don't know how it's possible to get a cold in June but….well anyway, here's SotP 9. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for the reviews!

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Harry and Ginny sat at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place, half-heartedly sipping butterbeer. Ron was still upstairs in his bedroom, but Harry and Ginny had grown tired of the waiting and decided they needed to do something. So here they sat, Harry staring into his butterbeer tank and Ginny watching him. The shock of Hermione's kidnapping was beginning to wear off but they both still felt terribly helpless. Harry swirled the straw in his butterbeer and then began to blow bubbles into it gloomily. Ginny smiled weakly at him.

"I haven't seen anyone do that in ages," she said. She too began blowing bubbles in her own glass. Neither of them said anything for several minutes, and then Ginny raised her head from her glass. Her arm twitched for a second and then she reached across the table and grasped Harry's hand in her own. He still showed no signs of life but continued to puff air into his straw.

"Hey, Bubble Boy," Ginny said quietly, "I'm trying to help you."

"I know," Harry mumbled, continuing his fascination with his drink.

Ginny watched him for a second. "We don't even know that we've lost her yet Harry…don't lose hope."

"Don't be so naive, Ginny," he said angrily, raising his head at last. "She's gone, and now I've lost another one of my family members to Voldemort's cause."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Well I'm not going to get my hopes up because then it will hurt even more when we get confirmation that she _is_ dead."

"Don't say that!" Ginny yelled.

"What do you want me to say?"

"I…I don't know." She let go of his hand and stared back down at her own glass, wishing she could drown herself within its depths.

"I don't see the _point_ in hoping for things anymore, Ginny. Hope always screws me over," Harry said bitterly. He got up and shook his stool violently. Ginny watched as he walked around the kitchen with his fists clenched and his jaw set. Then he suddenly kicked a vase over. Ginny gasped as it fell to the floor and shattered. Harry picked up the pieces and began throwing them at various pieces of furniture in the room.

"Harry!" she yelled.

"I—don't—care—anymore!" he said angrily, forcefully throwing pieces of the vase at the wall. He picked up a jar and threw it at the floor, then yelled when the broken fragments cut his feet. He kicked the kitchen table, grabbed his butterbeer, and threw that too. He shook his chair again and sat down panting, thrusting his head onto his arms.

"Harry?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"I—don't—care anymore," he said heavily.

Ginny felt hollow on the inside. Her own pain was horrible enough, but watching Harry suffer just added more to the burden. She swallowed hard to fight back her tears and walked around the table, sitting onto a chair next to him.

"Harry, it's going to be okay," she whispered consolingly, pulling him towards her. He was still panting heavily but she could see more tears forming in his eyes.

He didn't bother to tell her that everything _wouldn't_ be okay. He didn't bother to mention that he'd lost his parents, his godfather, and now one of his best friends. He didn't mention that he would probably be killed soon too, or else have to become a murderer. For a moment, Harry Potter forgot that he was living in Hell and just allowed her to comfort him. His breathing eventually slowed and he closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of Ginny holding him.

Ginny felt Harry relax against her and although most of her was screaming inside, a small part of her felt light as air. In the midst of all the turmoil, here was something that felt right. But even so, a sharp pain still jabbed at her heart, because Ginny realized that she might not be able to share this with Hermione. Tears clouded her eyes as she pictured her best friend's face lighting up when Ginny told her that she had held Harry _twice_ that day. Hermione would have been so happy for her….

A loud thud shook Ginny out of her stupor and she felt Harry jerk awake as well. Both of them turned their heads to see Tonks standing by the staircase. And kneeling on the floor next to her was…

"Hermione!" Ginny screamed. In one instant both her and Harry had bolted out of their seats and rushed down next to Hermione, knocking her over as they both tried to give her a hug.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, his voice cracking.

"I'm fine," she said, sitting up. "I'm just really glad to see you two."

Ginny hugged her again and both girls started crying. Harry tried to inconspicuously wipe away his tears but couldn't stem the flow of happiness welling inside of him.

"Crying over me, Harry?" Hermione teased as she released Ginny and wiped away her own tears.

"I was so scared," he said hoarsely.

"I know, so was I," she replied. She gave him another hug.

Ginny started laughing giddily while she tried to dry her eyes. Hermione and Harry turned towards her and began laughing as well. Tonks stood by and marveled at the happy reunion taking place before her. The three of them were laughing like idiots…but Tonks knew it was from their overwhelming relief to see each other again. She smiled.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione finally asked.

"He's upstairs," said Ginny. "Why don't you go find him and we'll make you some dinner?"

"That'd be great, thanks Gin," said Hermione brightly, giving her yet another hug and dashing up the stairs.

"Well," said Tonks, gazing at Harry and Ginny mischievously. "I'm gonna go check and make sure the Order have rounded things up okay."

"Was everything okay when you were there?" Harry asked.

"Oh yeah, we were totally beating the Death Eaters," Tonks enthused.

"Tonks, thank you _so much_," Ginny said, sharing a hug with her as well.

"Anytime," she said brightly. Then she disappeared with a _pop_.

Ginny turned to Harry. "So, do you believe in hope now?"

He gave a shaky laugh. "Yeah, I think the Fates are on my side for once," he muttered, gazing at her. Ginny felt herself go red while they just stared at each other. Then she walked over to the stove.

"Would you like to help me make some grilled cheese?"

"Yeah, I think I would." He grinned. She returned the smile.

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Hermione felt herself shaking as she climbed the stairs to Ron's room. She wasn't sure how he would react to seeing her, but she knew that she desperately needed to see him. She had thought of him more than anyone else during her brief stay in Azkaban. She had to apologize for fighting with him, had to make him understand how much she cared for him….

Sooner than expected, she was standing in front of his door. She took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles on the door.

"Leave me alone," said a weak voice.

Hermione slowly opened the door. There he was, laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling, his vivid red hair visible even in the semi-darkness. All of a sudden Hermione felt like a golf ball had lodged itself in her throat. She wanted to run to him….

"I thought I said—" Ron began, tearing his eyes away from the ceiling. Then he caught sight of her. Without a word he sat upright and stared at her, feeling chills run up and down his arms. She was just standing there staring at him, looking so vulnerable.

Ron was suddenly so overcome with emotion he thought he would choke on it. Before he knew it he had scrambled off his bed and sprinted to the door. He wrapped her in a tight embrace and she threw her arms around him, grasping him like she would fall if she let go.

"Ron," she choked out through sobs, "I'm sorry."

"No, Hermione, don't be sorry…"

"I didn't mean to fight with you, I didn't mean to upset you again, I'm sorry, that's all I've been thinking about…"

"Me too, I'm sorry, I felt horrible all day," he rushed out in one breath, now crying himself.

"I was worried that I'd never have the chance to see you again." Ron felt her body racking in-between sobs. He tightened his embrace.

"I felt the same way. But it's okay, we're going to be okay. You're safe now." Hermione took a deep shuddering breath. Ron was shaking. He let out a sigh of relief into her hair.

After about ten minutes, Ron noticed that Hermione wasn't as tense anymore. She had relaxed and was breathing normally. He let go of her and she stood back to look at him.

"You have tearstains," she whispered.

Ron blushed. "Er…yeah, I guess I do."

"I've never seen you cry before." She bit her lip.

"Well, er, I guess some things are just worth crying over," he stammered.

Hermione smiled.

"Um, listen Hermione, I really am sorry about fighting with you yesterday, and, er, I really do care about you—a lot—even though we bicker a lot." The blush was spreading across his face and down his neck as he spoke.

"I know, Ron. I care about you a lot too." She twisted her hands and stared at the floor.

"Hermione—the Death Eaters—they didn't hurt you at all, did they?"

"No, they didn't hurt me."

He sighed. "Good. I don't think I would have been able to live with myself."

Hermione stood on her toes for a second, hesitated, and then gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Ron turned a shade of crimson for a minute, but he beamed at her.

"Thanks, Ron."

"For what?"

"Just for—umm—being a great friend…and maybe more."

He stared at her. She bit her lip and stared at his feet. Then his stomach grumbled.

Hermione laughed. "Do you want something to eat? Ginny said she would make some dinner."

"Yeah, of course! What's she making?"

"I dunno, let's find out. I'm starving…" she led him out of his room and down the stairs into the hallway. Mrs. Weasley came hurrying up the stairs to meet them and nearly bowled Hermione over.

"Oh thank goodness, thank goodness! Ginny said you were home, oh I can't believe it, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, I'm okay. Thanks." Mrs. Weasley eventually let go of her, which was lucky because Hermione was about to suffocate. Ron watched in amusement as Mrs. Weasley felt Hermione's forehead and asked her about any injuries.

"Mum, shouldn't we leave this up to Madame Pomfrey?"

"Oh be quiet Ron, I'm just making sure she's okay. Now, you two need some dinner! Down into the kitchen at once, the twins will want to see you too Hermione."

"That's where we _were_ going," said Ron, who normally would have been irritated with his mother but now couldn't stop grinning.

Ron and Hermione walked into the kitchen to find Harry and Ginny having some kind of sword fight with their spatulas.

"Give it up, Harry, I'm going to win!"

"In your dreams, _Ginevra_," said Harry, brandishing his spatula at her.

Ginny whacked him with her spatula. "That's what happens to people who call me by my first name," she said with a mischievous smile.

"That's not fair," said Ron, startling Ginny and Harry. "When _I_ call her Ginevra, she whacks me with shovels."

Harry and Ginny looked at Ron and Hermione, who both had their eyebrows raised. Ginny lowered her spatula.

"Er—anyone up for some grilled cheese?" she said brightly.

"I'd love some," said Hermione, sitting at the kitchen counter. Ginny put eight slices of grilled cheese on a plate and brought it over to them. Ron practically attacked the plate and immediately began to stuff his face.

Hermione glanced at Harry, who had his back turned to them. She looked at Ginny with raised eyebrows and mouthed, "We're going to talk later." Ginny rolled her eyes but nodded and smiled. Harry turned away from the stove where he was cooking more grilled cheese and joined his three friends at the counter.

Fred and George waltzed into the kitchen at that moment, beamed at Hermione, and rushed over to her.

"Hey Fred, hey George," she said as they took it in turns to hug her.

"It's absolutely spiffing to see you back here Hermione," George said, bowing to her.

"Yes, we were very worried. Very worried indeed," Fred added jovially.

"We were concerned about what would happen to the library without you."

"Madame Pince would be so lonely—"

"Well, not as lonely as Ron—"

Ron choked on a mouthful of grilled cheese. George rumpled his hair and Fred said, "Awww…."

"Sod off," Ron muttered.

"Your wish is our command, little bro." Both of the twins grabbed a slice of grilled cheese and walked toward the kitchen door, laughing heartily.

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::A/N:: I got sick of all the dramatic stuff so I added some light moments at the end. I hope it balanced out okay. I plan to do one more chapter with this fic and then I'm ending it, so stick around till then! Right now I'd like to say Happy Belated Birthday to my good friend Vinny. I'm sorry I didn't call you the other day but I was really sick. Anyway, I hope you had a good b-day!

**_Review, Review, Review!_**


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